An Immigrants Experience:
by MarleyTucker101
Summary: I Hope you enjoy my short stories I will be adding a new story every now and then but I still don't know my schedule yet. This starts off with Jennifer Lin a young nine year old girl who moved to the US from China. In 1920


Beijing, China

1920

I sat upon my old small houses porch humming my favorite tune I learned in school my father got back from work, but he did not look as happy as he used to look when he came back from work before. I ran up to him and hugged him and asked him how his day was but he did not respond he just continued to walk inside the hours, my two older brothers Bolin and Yang were playing outside with a soccer ball. Which was just a smooth rock wrapped in paper? My father walked over to a chair and sat don with a plop I walked up to him and he told me what happened at work many people were fired do to economic collapse and their religious beliefs. He said that we would be heading to America if we could try to, I was excited I heard so many stories about America, how its the most safest and peaceful place on Earth. I've always wanted to go to America ever since I've heard about it. The next few weeks to follow were very hard on all of us we tried to catch a ferry but we could not get their in time, my Father kept on telling me that we will be there soon. When the final ferry was getting ready to leave in two weeks we quickly sold the house and all of our belongings so we could buy tickets, if we missed the Ferry we would have nothing but the clothes on our backs. On August 16, 1920 we were able to get on the last Ferry, but it was not like I expected it to be.

Unnamed Ferry

August 16, 1920

My Brothers Bolin and Yang, My father, and I were walking up to a ferry with hundreds of other Immigrants from China, Poland, and Germany we shuffled are feet onto the ferry, and the sailors marched us to the lower decks I was little to no beds their they told us that we will leave in a few minutes. Then after the time past the ferry began to move out of the bay and into the ocean, the first few hours were slow, maybe cause the captain was trying to find the safest path to America, the first day past and they already had an accident one of the younger boys from Poland was sitting on the edge of the Ferry and he fell off the Ferry, we tried to tell the sailors that he fell in the water but we knew little English by the time they noticed the boy in the water he had already drowned. A week past and th`e mother of the boy still cries over his death, my Brother Yang was reading his books throughly despite the distractions of the sea and the sailors screaming to on and other. On the third day of the fourth week we were got in a storm, many people were screaming and crying, one mans feet looked like molded prunes from the dirty and wet, floor another man vomited into has hat and just threw it to the ground I tried my best not to but nearly vomited as well. After the storm past, and on the final day of our voyage Bolin got up from his sleep and walked around a little bit before sitting next to my other brother Yang the two talked to each other for a moment then they heard the sailors talking and running around above us, many people feared it was another storm, Then they shouted to the captain and he walked out of his cabin and rang a bell. Then the sailors ran down in the lower decks and began to shout at us, and told us to get all of our belongings, but some had nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Angel Island

September 19, 1920

My older brothers jumped to their feet and rushed to the decks were you can see the amazing view of the Statue of Liberty and skyline of New York City. Once we made it to the deck the police, marched us to these two large buildings. Inside the buildings doors there were over on hundred other immigrants some didn't have proper clothing, while others were escorted back to the ships to be sailed back to were we came from, My fathers name was called and we walked up to the counter with him, and the stranger asked him what his current occupation is, my father tried to answer the what English he had known, when a Translator came up and translated for my father after fifteen minutes we were walked to another worker and he stamped our papers and we went onward, we got to another check-in. My father began to get angered with this we've already waited for too long, one man had his head checked and eyes checked then the Doctor had him escorted to the backdoor after two hours my father went up to the doctor and he had his head, eyes and mouth checked then he walked onwards, then my two brothers, then I finally went up and after five minutes of my heart beating irregularly then they said I could go on a bus with other Chinese people on it and the driver began to take us through town. I saw all these different buildings, thinking this is the beginning of something amazing, when he drove past the last apartment I was confused. The doors to the bus opened up and everyone walked out of the bus, and into the cold and clammy slums, My brother turned around to our translator and mumble a few phrases but I could not hear him and are translator responded by walking onto the bus and riding back to the station.

Here we are citizens of the United States of America living in slums, with violence and little to none work places, were are the official citizens of America living in a warm and safe apartments. My father woke up early in the morning, and he out on his suit and went outside of the slums, I ran after him and asked him what he told me that he was leaving to get a job, he continued to walk down the streets of the Slums. An hour past and my brother Bolin began to walk out the door and I walked up to him, and I told him that papa had, left early in the morning and he just looked at me then he walked outside and he began to disappear upon the horizon. Then I walked back inside and waited for another three hours when my father walked back into the slums, and I jumped to my feet and ran to him and asked him if he got a job. He responded with silence then with a shake of his head. At a young age I had know idea the Chinese immigrants were not allowed to have any jobs or even rights, my father then walked inside and sat up next to a wall. Then Bolin came back late at night and he handed my father twenty U.S. dollars, my father asked him were he got it but he did not respond. The next day my other brother Yang woke up and he walked up to Bolin and the two began to talk and Yang walked away in frustration. Bolin continued to walk outside again, I ran up to my father and told him that I was going to play outside, he responded and told me to stay close to home. I nodded in excitement, and I followed him for a while when he turned to a warehouse and knocked on the door and a man opened up the door slightly, and Bolin talked with him for a moment then the flap closed and the door opened. Bolin walked inside then I walked around the warehouse and found a window, I began to look through the window and he walked up to a man sitting in a chair and I could not tell what he was saying I could only assume he was talking about the money he had the other day, then a man came up behind him and hit him in the leg with a pipe and another man punched him in the face while he was on his knees, then I opened up the window slightly and I heard the man speak to Bolin, telling him that if he did not pay him back the twenty dollars his gave him he would be in a lot of trouble then two men grabbed him by the arm and pushed him outside. I ran around the corner and ran into Bolin, he looked at me with sadness in his eyes then he began to tell me something, when he turned around and the gangster boss was looking at him and he grabbed my hand and walked me home. Once we were home my father asked my brother and I where we have been and we stood in silence then he walked up to my dad took ten dollars that he gave him. Then he went back outside. Yang then stood up closed his book and looked outside as Bolin walked down the streets, then turned the corner. That was the last time we've got to see him. After a while my father gave up on Bolin, and tried to get another job but could not Yang was able to get some money for our family but I don't know how he got the money, maybe Bolin gave it to him, or he to is now corrupted by the gangs that took Bolin away from us.

California, United States of America

Chinese Immigration Slums

January 28, 1935

Nearly fifteen-years later I live with my aging Father, and my Brother Yang the subject of Bolin would pop up every now and then, but we will always remember him in are heart and hold onto forever the memories of his life. My father is now sixty-seven and Yang is thirty-one we have been praying that the Chinese people that have lived and have been immigrating to America will soon have the unalienable rights I heard about when I was ten, but with each year that passes that seems to be a lost cause. I haven't gotten the proper education that lives up to the standards of the Americans but my community has been having little gathers once in while where I learn things about Math and Writing. Yang has been able to gather a small group of friends and they have been working with their little hobbies like reading, playing sports but even with that there is little things to do around hear. Everyday I wake up and think of Bolin but I cry every time I do, and every night before I go to bed I hope that tomorrow..tomorrow it the day the Chinese people can have these so called unalienable rights...unalienable rights?

In Loving Memory of My Brother Bolin...1893-1920


End file.
